11th piano concerto (Mozart)

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The 11th Piano Concerto in F major, KV 413 , is a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . According to another count, it is Mozart's 5th piano concerto.

Emergence

The piano concerto was written in autumn 1782. It was written chronologically after the 12th piano concerto KV 414 , but has the lower number. These are Mozart's first piano concertos that were written in Vienna and no longer in Salzburg . Mozart wrote it for his own performances in Vienna. On December 28th, 1782 he wrote to his father: "Concerts are the middle thing between too difficult and too easy. They are very brilliant - pleasant to the ears - of course without falling into the void. Here and there even connoisseurs can get satisfaction alone received - but in such a way - that the ignorant have to say satisfied without knowing why. " From these lines it becomes clear that the concerts KV 413 to 415 were written for the performance in Vienna and that they had a commercial aim. The requirement was evidently to satisfy connoisseurs and non-connoisseurs with the beauty of the sound. Nevertheless, the last movement ends pianissimo , which may indicate a planned performance in a smaller group.

To the music

1st movement: Allegro

The main movement is in triple time, which is extremely unusual for Mozart's concert movements and otherwise only occurs in the piano concerto KV 449 and KV 491 . The main theme begins with an orchestral unison . The second theme is tonally strangely undecided and turns after seven bars, with a pronounced modulation, from the dominant back to the tonic . The introduction of the solo piano is almost like having its own first theme, before the main theme, divided between orchestra and soloists, is heard together. The short implementation is in a minor key and processed hardly the given thematic material, so come konzeptional a fantasy implementation , as in previous concerts usual closer. The solo cadenza here is a lot more virtuoso than in the previous 12th piano concerto . The last chords of the orchestra end the movement with a questioning gesture, as they rise from F to A and thus end with the third to F major.

2nd movement: Larghetto

The song-like theme progresses sublime in the violins. The bassoon parts in this movement are by all means obligatory, as will be the rule for all woodwinds in the coming works of Mozart. The solo piano joins the movement with the repetition of the song theme, which is varied together with the orchestra. The structure of the larghetto is quite simple and does not have a fully formulated second topic. Instead, after a longer transition, the main theme is repeated, sometimes even in F minor, and a longer solo cadenza . The simple but moving sentence ends with a concluding presentation of the main idea.

3rd movement: Tempo di Menuetto

The final rondo is composed in the manner of a minuet . The short movement is characterized by some compositional subtleties. The main theme already consists of a refrain and two variations. Some motifs from the transition between these two variations reappear in the whole movement. The elegant main theme is cleverly varied in two couplets and a few refrains by orchestra and solo piano. For example, in the last repetition of the main theme, a double counterpoint arises . An internalized coda finishes the movement piano , which rarely occurs in Mozart's final movements.

Status

The 11th piano concerto belongs to the group of early Viennese concerts. An important change is taking place in the formal structure of the concerts. The meaning and extent of the opening ritual of the main movements grows and it becomes clear that Mozart has a new concept in mind. The name of the orchestral exposure can now be applied to Mozart's concerts, which are thus increasingly developing into the classical basic form of the piano concerto. These first Viennese concerts are also an important building block in the development of the obligatory accompaniment, from the accompagnement libre to the obligatory accompaniment. They are the last ones that formally allow the woodwind to be used freely. However, in some places these are already inseparably woven into the musical happening. In the second movement of this 11th piano concerto, two bassoons are added, which cannot be removed from the conception. Another important element of the early Viennese concerts are the numerous solo cadences and entrances by the pianist, some of which lead to an increased virtuosity of the concerts.

literature

  • Hansjürgen Schaefer: concert book orchestral music GO. VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1978, ISBN 3-370-00036-9 .
  • Harenberg concert guide. Harenberg Kommunikation, Dortmund 1998, ISBN 3-611-00535-5 .
  • Marius Flothuis: Mozart's Piano Concertos. CH Beck Wissen, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-406-41874-0 .